V8 still isn’t going anywhere, BMW M says

According to BMW M CEO Franciscus “Frank” van Meel, the Bavarian automaker has no current plans to downsize its engines to four cylinders, let alone three. He believes that the current I6 and V8 offerings can be made eco-compliant.

Furthermore, we are told that the M division has already found a viable solution for keeping the six- and eight-cylinders alive. Van Meel declined further comment, saying simply that lowering emissions wasn’t the hardest part – keeping the performance on the same high level was.

Asked whether he ever seriously considered replacing the current engine lineup with a low-displacement electrified one, van Meel responded that it “runs afoul of the BMW M ideology, its unique vision regarding sports cars and the customers’ wishes”. He went on to admit that he couldn’t possibly imagine a four-cylinder engine powering an M5.